Hillsborough Charity song is the UK Christmas Number 1 record

The music single, for Hillsborough charity, a cover of the Hollies 'He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother', is this year's Christmas number one record.

A charity single, raising money for the families of 96 Liverpool fans who died in a crush at Hillsborough stadium in 1989, has reached number 1 in the UK singles chart. This means that the song will be number one on Christmas Day, which is a big event with UK pop music.

The reason for the song being released this year and hitting the top spot is because in mid-December the UK High Court quashed the original accidental death verdicts for the 96 Liverpool fans who died during the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest (as reported by the Guardian). The Court ordered a new inquest, after damning report into the disaster suggested a police cover-up.

The single is released under the name The Justice Collective, the song features names such as Robbie Williams and Sir Paul McCartney. The record is a cover version of The Hollies' 1969 hit. Others featured on the song include Gerry Marsden, Paul Heaton, Melanie C, Paloma Faith and Shane MacGowan.

According to the BBC, the song has sold 269,000 copies, which is 45,000 more than a song from the television show the 'X Factor', recorded by the winner James Arthur called 'Impossible'. Last week the song produced by the TV show was at number one, but it has now slipped to number 2.

All proceeds from the charity single are for the ongoing legal battle of the families of the Hillsborough tragedy.

The rest of the UK festive top five was filled by American artists. The full top ten is: